Lead generation and online performance marketing company Catena Media has extended its expansion efforts into 2017 with the acquisition of Swedish casino affiliate portal Slotsia and all its assets.
Catena Media revealed that it has acquired the Swedish website for an upfront payment of €3.575 million. A maximum earn-out of €5 million will be paid provided that certain revenue performance requirements are met within the next two years.
Founded in 2015, Slotsia is a Swedish-language website that ranks Sweden-facing online casinos and provides information about new bonuses and eye-catching promotions Among many others, it also features casino guides and related explanatory pieces about how some of the world’s most popular casino games are played. Quickly gaining popularity, the website won the Best Affiliate Newcomer award at the 2016 iGB Affiliate Awards.
As Catena Media noted in a Friday press release, Slotsia and its assets are expected to generate around €300,000 in sales during this year’s first quarter. The website will have to increase its revenue 130% in order to be able to gain the above-mentioned earn-out of €5 million.
Catena Media CEO Robert Andersson said of their latest purchase deal that it will help his company further consolidate its leading position in the Swedish gaming affiliate market.
Chronology of Catena Media’s Recent Purchases
Catena Media has established itself as one of the big drivers of the ongoing consolidation in the iGaming affiliate space. Last year, the Malta-headquartered company with offices in the United Kingdom and Serbia purchased Serbian iGaming affiliate portal AskGamblers for €15 million, a deal that was particularly important for the sector.
However, the Serbian website was not the only one to have been added to Catena Media’s portfolio over the past year. The company has bought multiple other affiliate portals to boost its presence around Europe, with particular focus on the Nordic iGaming markets, as well as in the US.
Here are some of Catena Media’s key acquisition deals in a reverse chronological order:
Mid-December 2016: Late last year, Catena Media announced that it had acquired several US-facing websites and affiliate-related assets for an initial purchase price of $15 million. The deal would allow the lead generation company establish itself as a player in the US iGaming market at a time when legalization lobbyism has reached new heights.
Early December 2016: The UK is among the regulated iGaming jurisdictions Catena Media has been eyeing expansion into. In early December, the company boosted its assets through the purchase of UK casino affiliate website Casino UK for €10.6 million, a deal that, among other things, allowed the lead generation company expand into a major and rapidly growing market.
October 2016: Catena Media diversified its assets through the acquisition of UK-facing sports betting news and tips website SBAT for an upfront payment of €3.2 million and earn-out of up to €10.5 million based on certain conditions.
Mid-June 2016: Swedish spots betting affiliate website Spelbloggare became part of Catena Media in mid-2016 for a purchase price of €2.5 million. That was, in fact, the deal that marked the company’s first foray into the sports betting space.
Early June 2016: Last year, Catena Media’s expansion efforts included entrance into the German gambling market with the purchase of several leading local iGaming affiliates for €3.5 million.
April 2016: Catena Media’s biggest deal was finalized in the spring of 2016. As mentioned above, it acquired AskGamblers, an award-winning casino affiliate portal, for €15 million, a risky endeavor that, on the other hand, positioned the company as one of the leaders in the field.
March 2016: Wonko Media AB, a Swedish affiliate network, joined Catena Media in March after the latter paid around €3.4 million to close that particular acquisition deal.
It was in March again when Catena Media secured expansion into the Belgian and Italian iGaming markets with the purchase of several casino-oriented affiliate websites.
If a general conclusion can be drawn out of the lead generation company’s activity over the past year, it can be said that it has clearly been eyeing expansion across regulated and provenly lucrative markets or markets that anticipate regulation and hold great potential.
